Thing 8 --Slide Show

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Photos left to right Row 1: Black Cat in green by Oimax; Hydrangea Hortensia byviZZZual.com; Smell of Summer by Per Ola Wiberg (Powi); Memories of Summer by Micky. Row 2: Beach by Wolfgang Staudt; Luck of summer rain by lepiaf.geo; Our brightest blazes of gladness by lepiaf.geo; A touch of summer by Per ola Wiberg (Powi). Row 3: Unknown; Countdown to Spring by aussiegall; Spring colors (Explored) byPRANAV; Sleeping Cat by domingins. Row4: Royal Tern by mikebaird; Hydrangea by Ingorrr; Summer in Redgranite by Just add Light; End of Summer#3 by noe**.

My slide show is titled "A Taste of Summer"

Brilliant colors, warm days,
Summer comes reluctantly
To the winter weary...


I enjoyed putting this slide show together. Most of my pictures came from Flickr. It was very easy to do. I can see where I could use slide shows or a montage in other areas of my writing. I can even see using this tool in my emails to my friends.

Cool Writing Prompts

I found these two writing prompts on "One Minute Writing Prompts."

1. You've decided you want a new name--one that will reflect who you are. What is your new name?

My new name would be Annelise. I love the way it sounds-- kind of ethereal. I see myself as delicate and refined. In Hebrew Annelise means grace/favor. I believe that God has truly blessed me. So to me, it would fit perfectly.

2. Is life getting better or worse as you get older?

Life is getting better as I get older. Yeah, my body is changing--I can't see, my bones and muscles ache, and my memory-- well let's say I'm lucky if I remember what I had for lunch yesterday-- but I love being in my late forties. I have gained the treasure of wisdom. I truly don't sweat the small stuff. I'm not poor like I was when I was younger. I've learned that life is about simplicity. "Keep it simple" my dad says. I try to live a simple, uncluttered life. When you can get to that point, it's very liberating. I've found that all I really need is my faith in God, my health, and my family and friends. And life is good.

Life's Changes

Well, I've completed the move from Southfield to Canton. It's amazing how much stuff one can accumulate over the years. When packing you find stuff you thought you had lost; stuff you wished you had lost and those special items you never want to let go of that are dear to your heart. The last few months have been an emotional roller coaster. I'm so happy to be sharing my life with my fiance and planning our wedding, but it's sad and hard to close a chapter in my life and give up things that are just logistically impractical to continue because I live too far away.

But life is about change and the journey we all must take. I think if you look at life as an adventure, it makes it fun and exciting. I know I'll find new projects, make new friends, decorate my house, and plant a garden...while writing all the while. I know this new chapter of my life is going to be a doozie and I'm looking forward to the ride.

Thing 6 --Finding the Right Picture

Flickr is a great resource for online images. You can find lots of great images and some images you wonder why did they share?

I like the fact that you can store your personal photos at the site. I haven't taken pictures lately because I don't want to collect any more photo albums. But being able to store my photos online at sites like Flickr or Picasa could be the answer. I wouldn't want to share my photos with the world, but I will consider Flickr as an option for an online photo album.

The Witch Seekers

This is something I wrote over 20 years ago. It still resonates with me because I am somewhat of an introvert. Yet, I long not to be. But I am what I am.


Photo --"In a cabin in the woods" by ktylerconk@flickr

The Witch Seekers

Part I
Autumn came;
It was time to go,
A journey to my cabin retreat.
Late afternoon arrival,
The sun setting in the West,
A hike through the woods
To my one wood shanty
To find an oak bed and an old wood stove,
The comforts of home.
Unpacked and fed,
I laze in front of the fire, waiting--
Waiting for winter's sleep,
My hour of quiet alert,
That dormant state that contains my survival--
Life frozen in a dream state.

Part II

Awakened by voices,
Quick and muffled,
And laughter--
It's the laughter of children;
It must be them again.
I stand wrapping my blanket about me,
Moving slowly to the door.
The iron latch is cold.
I pull the door toward me
Opening my quiet world
And letting in the chilled wind.

Yes, it's the children.
Their chatter stops at the sound of the door;
Like startled birds, they look up
But don't fly.
I clear my throat--frowning
Aware of my power over them,
I smile and brighten my face,
Like adjusting a kerosene lamp.
It doesn't work.
"Hello," I say,
More a question that a greeting.

Silence--
Then a nudge,
The youngest one speaks,
His small red face stares up at me,
Wanting to look through me
And around me
And into my world.
"Ah...are you..." he's nudged again.
"Are you a witch?"
They freeze--
At the unspeakable voiced.
I stare.
The tension builds.
I smile
Before they scatter like leaves in the wind.
"No. I'm not a witch. I just like being alone."
My words sound feeble even to me.
They don't buy it.
They shrug and back away down the wooded path.
They think that I'll cast a spell on them,
If they show fear.
They're brave.
I admire them; they face their fear.
I try to sleep mine away.

Suddenly, the sleepiness leaves me.
My stomach growls.
It takes me to the kitchen.
I fix a sandwich and sip my tea.
Out of the window, I can see the children--
A brave troop.
I wish I could join them,
Laughing, playing and running in the leaves.
When I grow up,
I'd like to be just like them.


Photo--"Misty Forest" by Pareerica@flickr

Thing 5-Subscribing to blogs

Blogline is a great RSS. I like being able to sort and file my blogs into various catagories. I can read what I want when I want. Having a central location for my news and information is allowing me to explore new interests and reestablish others.

In my search for blogs to subcribe to, I found a site called "Authors' Blogs." This is a site that lists aspiring and published authors' blogs. There are some interesting blogs there. I also would recomend Dragon Writing Prompts.

The address to Authors' Blogs is http://www.authorsblogs.com/

Tragedy and the Writer

This quote is from the April 5th Dragonwritingprompts:

"Coleridge was a drug addict. Poe was an alcoholic. Marlowe was killed by a man whom he was treacherously trying to stab. Pope took money to keep a woman's name out of a satire then wrote a piece so she could still be recognized anyhow. Chatterton killed himself. Byron was accused of incest. Do you still want to be a writer--and if so, why?" --Bennett Cerf

More than anything, I like being a writer. I like creating drama, and I love it when my writing resonates with my readers. I think one reason that I can do that is because I have suffered pain, loss, grief, anger, disappointment, as well as joy, infatuation, love, giddiness, surprise and all the emotions in between. When I tap into how those emotions made me feel at a given time, I'm able to relate that feeling to my readers through words. Life is full of joy and sorrow and life would be boring if it weren't. I think I would be a boring person if I had experienced many of the things I have. But those things good or bad shaped me into the person I am today. And fortunately, I like me. Plus, my life experiences are great fodder for stories.

As tragic as the aforementioned writers' lives were, their tragedies and/or character flaws helped make them the great writers and poets that they were.